Islamabad High Court orders PESCO to fund medical care for girl

The Islamabad High Court has upheld a decision in favor of Lubaba, a nine-year-old girl who lost both hands due to an 11KV power line collapse in Charsadda in July 2021. The court dismissed a petition filed by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO), maintaining a previous directive from the President of Pakistan.

The court ordered PESCO to cover all costs for the girl’s medical examination at the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in Rawalpindi, as well as all expenses for advanced prosthetic limbs, treatment, and rehabilitation. The ruling specifies that if necessary medical treatments or advanced prosthetics are unavailable within Pakistan, PESCO is obligated to bear the costs of treatment abroad.

In its written judgment, the court emphasized that the responsibility of electricity distribution companies extends beyond providing uninterrupted power to ensuring human safety and meeting protective requirements.